Last Night's American Ninja Warrior Continues The Year of Denver

Of all the people and places that American Ninja Warrior has been to/lionized, I would not immediately say that Denver would be the best place with the best people but here we are, more than halfway through The Year of Denver.

The city's other proud moments include: not devolving into a pot-stained hellscape and not nabbing the 2016 Republican National Convention. And then last night. Last night's Denver finals on ANW had many pleasures, all of them surprising. Foremost, the idea that people of so many different professions (beekeeper, yes, and that is not a typo) and kinds of hats would gather at one of our nation's highest altitudes and hurl themselves at things.

But really we need to talk about Brian. Bald Brian Arnold, the episode's folliclian champion and a repeat contender, quit his job to pursue a ninja career full-time. Despite the fears, despite the pressure. That he triumphed was less a shock than that he knew the perfect moment to remove his shirt, a skill so simple it requires almost exquisite timing.

I would not say that there is something in the water there that makes this all so, but maybe there is something in the marijuana.